100 questions & answers about advanced and metastatic breast cancer (9780763761837)

The only text available to provide both the doctor's and patient's views, 100 Questions & Answers About Advanced and Metastatic Breast Cancer gives you authoritative, practical answers to your questions. Written by Lillie Shockney, Administrative Director of the Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Center, Instructor in the Department of Surgery at Johns Hopkins University s School of Medicine, and tireless breast cancer patient advocate, with commentary from actual patients, this book is an invaluable resource for anyone struggling with the medical, psychological, or emotional turmoil of this condition. Title......Page 3 Copyright......Page 4 Contents......Page 5 Foreword......Page 9 Part One: Suspicions of Metastatic Breast Cancer......Page 11 1. So what is metastatic breast cancer?......Page 13 3. I have heard that breast cancer grows more slowly in older women and doesn’t need to be treated. Is that true?......Page 14 4. How will my oncologist decide how to treat my metastatic breast cancer?......Page 16 5. My doctor waited for me to have symptoms before doing any scans. Couldn’t he have found my cancer earlier if he did regular scans after my first diagnosis?......Page 18 7. How did this happen? Should I have had more treatment originally when I was diagnosed?......Page 20 8. I want to get under way with treatment immediately and everything is taking too long. Why can’t I start treatment immediately?......Page 21 Part Two: Ensuring You Are in Good Hands—Selecting the Oncology Team to Take Care of You......Page 23 9. How do I know I’m receiving the best and most appropriate care for my current situation?......Page 24 10. I want to be able to participate in the decision making about my treatment. How can I do this?......Page 27 11. I’ve heard the term “multidisciplinary care,” or “tumor board,” used. What is this and should I be requesting this?......Page 28 13. My surgery was done when I was originally diagnosed with breast cancer. Will I still need a breast surgeon to be involved now?......Page 29 15. Do I need a radiation oncologist?......Page 30 16. I want to make sure that my doctors are communicating with one another and not relying on me to give them updates. How do I make sure my medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, and family doctor are talking?......Page 31 18. The stress of thinking about what may lie ahead is overwhelming to me. Who can help me with these feelings?......Page 32 Part Three: Decisions Regarding Surgery and Radiation for Treatment of Metastatic Disease......Page 33 19. I had a lumpectomy and axillary node dissection done 3 years ago and now the cancer has returned to my bones. Will the doctor need to do a mastectomy now?......Page 34 21. I have disease in my liver. Can I get a liver transplant as my treatment?......Page 35 22. I haven’t had surgery yet of any kind because when my cancer was discovered it was also found to have already spread to my bones. Based on my scans, the cancer is now in control. Will the doctor consider doing breast cancer surgery and radiation now?......Page 36 24. How does the doctor protect the rest of my body from getting radiation it doesn’t need?......Page 37 25. I’ve had radiation already to shrink my cancer in the spine and it has regrown. Can I have radiation again?......Page 38 Part Four: Chemotherapy for Treatment of Metastatic Disease......Page 39 26. What is chemotherapy and how does it work?......Page 40 27. I got several drugs before, why am I only getting one now?......Page 41 28. When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, I was treated with adjuvant chemotherapy. Will I get the same drugs again?......Page 42 30. Do I have to be hospitalized to get my treatments?......Page 43 31. How is chemotherapy given?......Page 44 32. What are ports and vascular access devices? Do I need one?......Page 45 34. What is a chemotherapy cycle?......Page 48 35. How will the doctors determine if the chemotherapy is working?......Page 49 36. My doctor just told me that my cancer is in remission. Does that mean that I’m cured?......Page 50 37. What are my chances of remission, and how long will it last?......Page 51 38. I feel pretty good during my chemotherapy treatments, and I worry that the treatment isn’t strong enough. Is it more likely to work if I get more severe side effects?......Page 52 39. How often will I see my oncologist during my chemotherapy treatments?......Page 53 40. Since the chemotherapy affects my immune system, is it still okay for me to work while taking it? Are there any precautions I should use in the work place or in other social settings?......Page 54 41. My doctor checks my blood count just before I get my next dose of chemotherapy. Why does he also need to check it 1–2 weeks later?......Page 55 42. Is there anything that I can do to bring my counts up?......Page 56 43. When I have a problem, shouldI call my primary care doctor or my oncologist?......Page 57 44. Why do I need intrathecal chemotherapy?......Page 58 46. Is it safe to travel while I am getting chemotherapy?......Page 59 Part Five: Hormonal Therapy......Page 61 47. How does the doctor determine if I should get hormonal therapy instead of chemotherapy?......Page 62 48. Are there different types of hormonal therapies? How does my doctor decide which to use?......Page 63 49. I have osteoporosis. Is it safe to take an aromatase inhibitor?......Page 64 50. I am taking hormonal therapy for treatment of my metastatic breast cancer. Is it true that chemotherapy is better than hormonal therapy since it is given intravenously?......Page 65 Part Six: Side Effects of Metastatic Breast Cancer and Its Treatment and How to Control Them......Page 67 51. What kind of side effects might I expect to experience as a result of getting treatment for my metastatic breast cancer?......Page 68 52. Why do I feel so tired most of the time?......Page 69 54. It seems harder to remember things, especially doing math or trying to recall where I put my keys. What is causing these symptoms?......Page 70 55. Where did my energy go, and what can I do to get it back?......Page 71 56. I’ve been in treatment for my metastatic breast cancer that spread to my lungs. Lately I’ve noticed it is getting harder to breathe. What might this be?......Page 72 57. What is lymphedema and how can I manage it if I develop it?......Page 73 58. What can I do to manage hair loss?......Page 74 59. My doctor mentioned that he would check my calcium levels periodically. What is this for?......Page 75 60. It seems harder to fight off colds and flu viruses than it did before. How come?......Page 76 61. My chemotherapy and hormonal therapy have caused me to develop symptoms of menopause. How can I manage these symptoms and feel more like myself again?......Page 77 63. I’m taking so many different medications now that my stomach is always upset. What can I do to feel better and be able to eat and enjoy food again?......Page 78 64. My feet and hands have gotten tingly. What is this, and how can I make it go away?......Page 80 65. I am feeling more joint pain and backaches that make it difficult to walk around. What can I do to manage my pain?......Page 81 66. I am so worried about pain. Will Isuffer a lot?......Page 82 68. Is it true that the bis phosphonates that I take for my bones will damage my jaw?......Page 83 70. My husband and I have enjoyed an active sex life. Since my treatments have gotten more intense, this has been more difficult. What can we do to be able to still be sexually intimate? We both miss it.......Page 85 Part Seven: Targeted Therapy......Page 87 72. What is HER2-positive breast cancer, and how do I know if I have it?......Page 88 73. What is targeted therapy, and how does it work?......Page 89 74. I have been taking trastuzumab (Herceptin), but the doctor says that my cancer is not responding to this treatment anymore. Do I have any other options?......Page 92 Part Eight: Clinical Trials......Page 93 76. What are the various study phases of clinical trials?......Page 94 77. What questions should I ask the doctor about a specific clinical trial she has recommended for me?......Page 96 78. How do I find out about clinical trials that might be appropriate for me to consider?......Page 97 Part Nine: Complementary and Alternative Medicine......Page 99 80. I’ve heard that some alternative medicine treatments may actually cure cancer. Is this true?......Page 100 81. What are examples of some complementary and alternative treatments that I might hear about or want to learn more about?......Page 101 83. My disease is progressing and I’m running out of options for treatment. Can I embark on alternative medicine and do it on my own?......Page 103 84. Where can I go to get credible, up-to-date information about research studies that have been done regarding complementary and alternative medicine?......Page 104 85. How do I make the decision if I should or shouldn’t use one of the complementary or alternative therapies my family and friends are recommending?......Page 105 Part Ten: Other Common Questions......Page 107 86. My family wants me to stop smoking, but I already have incurable cancer. Do I have to stop?......Page 108 88. I have liver cancer. Is it true that it is a death sentence?......Page 109 89. A friend of mine who has metastatic disease says that periodically she gets to stop treatment for a while. How does my oncologist decide if I can have a drug holiday? How long does it usually last?......Page 110 90. Should I still get my annual screening mammogram?......Page 112 Part Eleven: End of Life, Treatment, Crossroads, Making Plans......Page 115 92. What is an advanced directive and how can I make sure my wishes are known?......Page 116 93. What is a living will? Is it the same as a healthcare proxy?......Page 117 94. I don’t know how to approach such decisions with my family. How do I do this?......Page 119 96. How and when will the doctor recommend that I stop treatment?......Page 120 97. My doctor says that it’s time to get hospice involved and stop my treatment. What is hospice and what can I expect them to help me with?......Page 121 98. I want my children to remember me. I also want to help them cope with my having to leave them. What can you suggest to help us with both?......Page 123 99. I feel very stressed about my medical situation and need time to clear my head and think about what I want to do. How can I do this?......Page 125 100. How do I decide what is the best way to be spending my time if the doctor tells me that my time is limited? Do I still work as much as I can? Do I take a trip? How do I make these decisions?......Page 127 Drug Tables......Page 129 Appendix......Page 137 Glossary......Page 141 Index......Page 151

empower Yourself! Whether You're A Newly Diagnosed Patient, Or Are A Friend Or Relative Of Someone Suffering From Advanced Breast Cancer, This Book Offers Help. The Only Text Available To Provide Both The Doctor's And Patient's Views, 100 Questions & Answers About Advanced And Metastatic Breast Cancer Gives You Authoritative, Practical Answers To Your Questions. Written By Lillie Shockney, Administrative Director Of The Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Center, Instructor In The Department Of Surgery At Johns Hopkins University's School Of Medicine, And Tireless Breast Cancer Patient Advocate, With Insider Commentary From Actual Patients, This Book Is An Invaluable Resource For Anyone Struggling With The Medical, Psychological, Or Emotional Turmoil Of This Condition.

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The only text available to provide both the doctor's and patient's views, this book gives you authoritative, practical answers to your questions. Written by Lillie Shockney, Administrative Director of the Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Center, Instructor in the Department of Surgery at Johns Hopkins University s School of Medicine, and tireless breast cancer patient advocate, with commentary from actual patients, this book is an invaluable resource for anyone struggling with the medical, psychological, or emotional turmoil of this condition